Rebecca Kelly (Senior Sales Manager, Princess Cruises UK & Europe) hosted travel trade and their families at the festive Panto in the National Stadium.
As always, the dynamo duo of Sammy Sausages and Buffy set off on another adventure to save the day. This year, Sammy, Buffy and the Beanstalk retold the tale with the help of Tic and Toc.
Always going above and beyond, Rebecca arranged a special visit of the two stars for her guests – Sammy and Buffy smiling and sparkling for the Princess Cruises group.
Sammy over Santa
In a telling recommendation for the standard of entertainment, my daughters said in a heartbeat they would pick seeing Sammy over seeing Santa and so the loyal following of children who love this panto continues. Equally, the humour entertains the adults with a host of hits, properly funny jokes and good aul’ family entertainment.
Dads, be prepared to dance. I didn’t even hesitate this year. It is more fun to suck it up and fully embrace the festivities. The wide-eyed kids, wiggling in their seats to the tunes, clapping their hands, stomping their feet, shouting at the bad guys and cheering for the champions – this is one of the very best parts of Christmas.
If you haven’t been, go (tickets are on sale till early January and not a sales pitch but a strong recommendation for a family outing that’s genuinely fabulously fun, funny and family-focused – though don’t sit in the front row if you can help it). Dust off your Santa hats, pull on a Christmas jumper and brush up your moves to the Macarena, YMCA and the like and be ready to boogie, boo (the bad guys) and cheer through the evening.
The Sun & the Stars
While the sun and stars don’t revolve around Ms Kelly, they soon will, in the form of the latest additions to the Princess Cruises fleet. Sun Princess debuts in the Mediterranean in February 2024 and her sister ship, Star Princess in 2025.
Sun Princess will have 2,150 guest cabins with a guest capacity of 4,300 and will sail Mediterranean itineraries during the 2024 summer season.
Sun Princess
Sun Princess will debut Park19, a top-deck space catering for everyone. Those brave enough can soar like a bird 19 decks above the waves on the Sea Breeze Rollglider, a first at sea. For a sneak peek, check out the video.
Sun Princess will also offer the Nets Rope Course, an Infinite Horizon Tilt Wall as well as a Coastal Climb, Splash Pad & The Lookout.
With plenty to entice the thrill-seekers, there’s more to fall in love with on Sun Princess. In partnership with Romero Britto, Sun Princess introduces “Love by Britto”, an artistic-inspired dining experience with an imaginative prix fixe menu curated by culinary virtuoso, Rudi Sodamin.
An Extraordinary Experience
Given the incredibly high standard of dining onboard Princess Cruises and the outstanding experience of 360 onboard Enchanted Princess, this is likely to be in very high demand.
For an idea of the immersive dining experiences onboard Princess Cruises, check out:
If you would rather take a seat and soak up the energy and entertainment, Sun Princess offers Spellbound, a spectacular one-of-a-kind experience created in partnership with The Magic Castle™. This Victorian-themed bar features magicians performing mind-bending entertainment, themed rooms and theatrical cocktails.
Captains of Star Princess
Princess Cruises announced the two captains who will serve as masters of the line’s second, sensational Sphere Class cruise ship, Star Princess.
Captain Gennaro Arma will be master of the 17th Princess ship when she debuts in the summer of 2025. When Captain Arma is on leave, Commodore Nick Nash will take over the navigation and leadership.
“It is my privilege to introduce and congratulate the masters of the stunning new Star Princess,” said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president. “Captain Arma and Commodore Nash have remarkable histories with Princess, and will provide great experience and excellent leadership on our newest vessel.”
Commodore Nick Nash, a 33-year veteran of Princess Cruises, was promoted to the rank of commodore of the line’s global fleet in 2020. He currently serves as captain of Enchanted Princess. Commodore Nash also has served as President of the Nautical Institute and after two years, now serves on the council. He was awarded the UK’s Merchant Navy Medal for meritorious service in 2018. He is a Chartered Master Mariner, a Fellow of The Nautical Institute, The Royal Institute of Navigation, The Royal Geographical Society and a Younger Brother of Trinity House.
Captain Gennaro Arma started with Princess Cruises in 1998 as a Cadet, rising through the ranks to be Captain of Sea Princess in 2015, where he navigated the ship on two world cruises. He took the helm of Diamond Princess in 2018 and in 2020 and was honoured with the recognition of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the highest of the orders of the Italian Republic, and selected among the 20 most influential Italian characters of the year by Vanity Fair in December 2020. Arma has also received the title of Magister of Amalfi Civilization for the Byzantine New Year, the Emanuela Loi award for courage, and the Assarmatori prize from the Italian Maritime Association awarded by the Minister of Transportation. He most recently served as captain of Discovery Princess.
